Last weekend, Spellbound Children’s Bookshop held a fundraiser and book drive for the POP Project in conjunction with International Star Wars Day: May the Fourth.
The Fourth was with us, indeed, as a great crowd of children of all ages enjoyed the fun and festivities of the day. There were intergalactic snacks, like grape sabers, Wookie cookies, and Yoda soda. In addition, Spellbound held a drawing for a giant Wookie door prize, gave away store gift cards during the costume contest, and offered a discount on all Star Wars-themed books and gifts. It was a great day for the young padawans who joined us.
Best of all, members of the Carolina Garrison of the 501st Legion were able to join us to teach the children about the Force and how it is empowered by the joy of reading. (Okay, maybe I made that last part up.) Kids came with their own light sabers, but enjoyed watching the Jedi fight Darth Vader – I guess they were too smart to step into the fight themselves. Several Tie Fighter pilots were also in attendance, acting as Darth Vader’s security.
Vader even sat down with the children for a short storytime. We couldn’t tell if the kids were entranced by his reading because of the story or because of his voice, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.
The party was organized as a fundraiser and book drive for POP, with admission being $2 per child or at least one gently used book at the door. By the end of the day, POP raised $200 in donations of books and money, a value that more than covers all our storage costs for one month!
POP would like to send our thanks to the 501st for spending time with us on this busy holiday weekend. They were great with the kids and the crowd, and their dedication to their craft, even on a warm May afternoon, was admirable.
Big thanks also belong to Spellbound for planning, organizing, and hosting the event. The staff there is always so supportive, and we look forward to maybe doing this event again next year.
Until the next International Star Wars Day, fans and readers can visit Spellbound Tuesday-Saturday 11:00-7:00pm and Sundays 1:00-6:00pm. POP maintains a dropbox there for small donations, so be sure to drop in when you have a few books to donate. The 501st will also appear at this year’s GeekOut popular arts convention, June 6-8, 2014 at the Sherrill Center at UNC Asheville. Spellbound will also be there with books on sale.
Check out a few of the photos below. For more photos of the May the Fourth party, visit the POP Project and Spellbound on Facebook.